The Extra's Regressor Wives

Three days later.

Aldric sat in the study of House Kirlinghalm, a stack of ledgers freshly delivered by a servant spread before him.

After Cassian took Lathel away from the family, Reinhardt had ordered a thorough inspection of the room and every item he had once used. The official reason was to search for clues related to the fire, but in truth no one in House Kirlinghalm genuinely believed anything of value could be found in the small room of an adopted child who had been neglected for years.

Aldric thought the same.

He had barely flipped through a few pages before losing patience.

Most of it was just receipts for medicines purchased for Leviana, minor living expenses, and the pittance of an allowance Lathel received each month. No treasures, no secret arts, nothing that could explain why an Extra who should have been insignificant kept appearing at the center of every recent change.

Aldric was about to close the ledger when a name that repeated many times made his hand stop.

Saint Mariel Orphanage.

He flipped back several pages.

Every month, a sum of money had been sent to this place. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but it had gone almost without interruption for three years. Besides money, there were also old clothes, reading primers, fever medicine, and various daily necessities.

Aldric looked at the total and laughed.

"Living no better than a servant himself, and still sending nearly half his money to feed orphans."

The black ring on his finger gave off a very faint vibration. Morgana’s voice echoed in his consciousness, carrying a note of puzzlement.

"What’s so funny? He wants to help people who once shared his circumstances. That’s not hard to understand."

Aldric propped his chin on his hand, his gaze still on the page. "That’s precisely what makes it stupid. No status, no strength, can’t even take care of his own life and still wants to save others. If that money had gone toward cultivation materials, at least it would’ve meant something."

Morgana was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Not everything in this world has to benefit oneself."

Aldric smirked.

"Master has lived five hundred years and still believes that sort of thing?"

He didn’t wait for an answer and continued flipping through the ledger.

In the early years, Lathel had personally visited the orphanage several times. After he began caring for Leviana, the visits dropped sharply, but the monthly payments were still sent without fail.

A small note at the bottom of a page made Aldric’s eyes slowly narrow.

Cost of magical aptitude testing for children of age: insufficient funds.

His fingertip rested on that line.

"Orphans..."

Morgana immediately noticed the shift in his voice. "What are you thinking?"

Aldric didn’t answer.

In his mind, knowledge of the Fate Usurpation Ritual had already surfaced.

The people who possessed the best magic veins were usually discovered young by major families, academies, or the Church. By adulthood, each of them had connections, protectors, and a place of their own. Trying to approach and then make a genius like that disappear without leaving a trace was extremely troublesome.

But children in an orphanage were different.

No parents.

No family.

Many hadn’t even had their aptitude tested.

If a few quality magic veins actually existed among them, it was no different from an untouched pile of resources.

The corner of Aldric’s mouth slowly curved.

’A pen of livestock no one’s bothered to inspect.’

He closed the ledger and called for the servant outside the door.

"Prepare the carriage."

The servant stepped in at once, bowing slightly. "Where does the young master wish to go?"

Aldric placed his hand on the name in the ledger.

"Saint Mariel Orphanage."

.....

The orphanage sat on the southern outskirts of the city.

It consisted of a single two-story building made of gray stone. The outer walls already showed many small cracks. In front stretched a fairly wide dirt yard, one side planted with vegetables, the other hung with several clotheslines full of children’s garments.

The moment the carriage bearing the Kirlinghalm crest stopped before the gate, the laughter inside the yard went quiet.

A middle-aged nun hurried out. Her apron was still dusted with flour, and her hair had begun to show many streaks of silver. When she recognized the crest on the carriage, she quickly wiped her hands and bowed.

"Young Master Kirlinghalm? May I ask what brings you here?"

Aldric had changed into clothing simpler than usual. The arrogance on his face had also vanished, replaced by a warm smile that easily put people at ease.

"No need to be nervous. I’m here because of Lathel."

The nun immediately looked up.

"Young Lathel?"

Aldric saw her reaction, and his smile didn’t waver. "I’m his younger brother, from the family that adopted him. Lathel ran into a bit of trouble recently and can’t come himself for the time being. I noticed he regularly sends money to the orphanage, so I wanted to come check on everyone in his place."

The wariness on the nun’s face eased at once.

"I see. Please, come inside." She opened the gate and led him into the yard, her voice growing friendlier. "Young Lathel has truly helped this place a great deal. He used to come in person, but later I heard he had to care for someone who was ill, so he could only send money and supplies. But he’s never once forgotten, almost every single month."

Aldric walked beside her, answering casually: "He’s always been like that. Never likes to talk about what he does."

The nun smiled. "I once asked why he cared so much about orphans. Young Lathel wrote that he himself had grown up in a place like this, so he understood the feeling of no one remembering you existed."

Aldric’s steps slowed for a moment.

This was something he had never known.

But the interest lasted only an instant.

’So they’re the same type. No wonder he likes gathering useless things together.’

A group of children had gathered near the entrance.

Most were roughly five to ten years old. Their clothes were clean but worn, many spots patched with mismatched fabric. A few of the older ones stood in front, instinctively shielding the smaller ones behind them at the sight of a stranger.

A girl of about seven, clutching a cloth doll, studied Aldric for a long while before finally mustering the courage to ask:

"Isn’t big brother Lathel coming?"

Aldric turned to her.

The girl had slightly messy brown hair, and one knee was still smeared with mud.

He immediately crouched down to bring his eyes level with hers, his expression so gentle that even the nun standing beside them relaxed.

"He got a little hurt, so he’s resting."

The girl’s face tensed at once. "Is it bad?"

"He’s fine. He even asked me to come visit all of you."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Aldric smiled and placed a hand on the girl’s head.

The instant they made contact, a tiny thread of mana quietly entered her body. The current ran through undeveloped veins and quickly returned.

Ordinary magic veins.

Not worth anything.

Aldric withdrew his hand, the smile unchanged.

"What’s your name?"

"Lina."

"Lina is very well-behaved."

The girl happily ran back to the other children.

Morgana’s voice came at once.

"What did you just do?"

’Just a little check.’

"Checking what?"

’Magic veins.’

Morgana was silent for several seconds, then asked in a clearly more serious tone: "Why are you checking a child’s magic veins?"

Aldric didn’t bother answering.

The servant who had come along began unloading boxes of pastries, dried meat, and clothing from the carriage. The children grew excited at once, but the nun still made them line up before each one could receive their share.

Aldric stood to the side and watched.

He was very patient.

As each child passed, he asked a few questions, occasionally bending down to straighten a collar or pat a head.

"How old are you?"

"Can you read?"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Do you like magic?"

In the nun’s eyes, it was simply a young nobleman showing concern.

But every time Aldric touched a child, a thread of mana quietly entered their body.

The first child was unremarkable.

The second had veins too narrow.

The third couldn’t even form a complete mana core.

Aldric kept smiling, but inside his head he was continuously eliminating.

’This one’s useless.’

’That one’s too weak.’

’Not worth raising.’

Morgana couldn’t read his every thought clearly, but the way Aldric kept testing child after child made her feel increasingly uneasy.

At the seventh child, Aldric’s hand lingered longer than usual.

A boy of about nine stood before him, short black hair, both hands still dirty from tending the vegetable garden.

The mana entered.

Three main veins.

Width already far exceeding a normal child’s.

If taught magic properly, he could at the very least reach the mid-tier mage level in the future.

The corner of Aldric’s mouth curved at once.

"What’s your name?"

The boy was a little nervous. "Noel."

"Have you ever had your aptitude tested?"

The nun standing nearby shook her head. "Noel is still young. Besides, the orphanage doesn’t have the money to hire a mage for individual testing."

Aldric nodded, his hand patting the boy’s shoulder lightly.

"I understand."

Inside his head, a number had already appeared.

’One.’

Morgana asked at once: "One what?"

Aldric raised an eyebrow slightly.

’Master must have misheard.’

He let Noel go and continued testing.

A blonde girl of ten had two main veins carrying the light attribute.

’Two.’

A smaller boy had dual veins that hadn’t fully formed yet.

’Three.’

By the time more than twenty children had passed through, Aldric had memorized five names.

Noel.

Erin.

Mika.

Theo.

And Sophie.

Sophie was only six.

The youngest of the five, yet her magic veins were cleaner than all the rest. The channels were still very immature, but they contained almost no impurities.

Aldric stood several meters away, watching Sophie sit on the front steps. She had just received a large pastry but only took one bite before breaking it in half and handing the rest to a smaller child who was running a fever.

"Ben, eat this. I still have my half."

The boy shook his head. "But you’re hungry too, Sophie."

"I already ate."

The two children looked at each other and laughed together.

Aldric observed the scene, his gaze resting on Sophie a beat longer than the others.

In his mind there was no image of a little girl sharing her food.

What he saw were the clean magic veins hidden inside that small body.

’This one’s the best.’

Morgana finally understood.

"You’re selecting them."

Aldric didn’t deny it this time.

’Correct.’

"For what purpose?"

The corner of his mouth curved.

’Master has already guessed. Why bother asking?’

Morgana’s voice turned cold at once.

"Aldric, stop."

He looked at Sophie sitting among the other children, his expression still perfectly calm.

’I haven’t done anything yet.’

"But I know what you’re thinking."

Aldric laughed softly.

’Then we’ll talk about it tomorrow.’

He walked slowly toward the children.

’First, let me see how far this batch of goods can be raised.’

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